14/03/2023
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM
•THE ALTARS OF ABRAHAM
-An altar is a place of sacrifice.
-It’s a place of transaction where divinity meets humanity.
-Altars are raised to a deity and men come to commune with that deity on the altar.
-Abraham raised four altars to God in his lifetime. Let’s have a look at them.
1. Altar of Promise
»Genesis 12:6-7 - Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
-This is the first altar that Abraham built.
Abraham arrived in the Land of Promise, at "Shechem" in the plain, the lowlands of "Moreh." He is
immediately faced with a problem for "the Canaanite was in the land" - a cruel, corrupt and callous people. Abram and his company would be very vulnerable in this hostile environment.
-However, the Lord was with Abram in the land and a divine vision and voice welcomed him there, thus all his fears were allayed. The promise was renewed and Abram was reassured.
-This is an altar that assures us of the promises of God. We place our trust in Him because of the integrity of His word that he cannot fail on His promises.
»Ezekiel 12:28 - Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord GOD.’”
»Philippians 1:6 - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
»Joshua 21:45 (NIV)- Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
»Joshua 23:14 (NIV) - “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed
2. Altar of Prayer
»Genesis 12:8 - And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
-This was the second altar that Abraham built.
-He pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. Bethel means the “House of God” and Ai means a “heap of ruins”.
-This sounds like Abram built his life with the House of God on one side and his past on the other and called on the name of the Lord at this altar.
-When famine fell upon the land, Abraham went to Egypt and lied that Sarah was his sister. However, he was discovered and unceremoniously sent away from Egypt. When he came back to Canaan, he pitched his tent again at this place and called upon the name of the Lord at this same altar.
-Abraham was blessed in this place with a lot of wealth. At the place of worship, we are blessed with wealth.
»Genesis 13:2-Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
-This is an altar that marks our worship. It keeps us reminded that God is on our side regardless of what we may face in the journey of life. We can always count on him.
»Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
»Jeremiah 33:3 - ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
3. Altar of Peace
»Genesis 13:14-18 - And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.
-This was the third altar that Abraham built
-Abram and Lot had acquired flocks and herds and tents; strife and division broke out among the herdsmen so that they could no longer dwell together.
-Abram and Lot therefore decided to separate. Abram nobly allowed Lot first choice of the land, and what a fateful choice it proved to be. He chose what looked desirable in his eyes forgetting that he was blesse by virtue of his association with Abraham.
-Thus, Abram moved to Mamre which means “Vigour” in Hebron which means “fellowship”. He was now separated from Egypt and from Lot, free from strife, and enjoying complete security and peace hence he built there an altar unto the Lord to enjoy the peace and presence of God.
-This is an altar which reconfirmed God’s promise which was lost to Lot for the peace in Abram’s house.
-This altar in Mamre was a journey of Abram to know the Lord, a knowing which finally changed his name, changed his life’s destiny and purpose. From Abram “a glorified father” to Abraham “the father of all nations”
4. Altar of Provision
»Genesis 22:8-9 - And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
-This was Abraham’s fourth and last altar. The altar where Abraham’s faith was tested.
-This altar was built at Mount Moriah; it was the highest worship Abraham would give to God. On this altar he laid his own son, Isaac, ready to be slaughtered and sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord.
-On this altar also lies Abraham’s faith which believed that God definitely will provide.
-God did not want Isaac, He wanted the heart of Abraham. Abraham was really upon the altar, not Isaac! This supreme trial marked the summit of Abraham's faith. It had been a long and eventful journey of faith from Ur to Moriah, from idolatry to worship.
-Every believer needs to sustain these four altars as we journey in God
Hallelujah!
